Social Media

French Designer Creates Audi Brand’s First Motorcycle

Since Audi’s acquisition of the Ducati business last year, BMW is no longer the only German premium automaker that also has a motorcycle division – BMW Motorrad. Inspired by Audi’s foray into the world of motorcycles, French designer Thibault Devauze imagined the first model of a new motorcycle range from the brand with the four rings. Its name? The 'Audi Motorrad Concept'.

A former Audi, Ducati and Land Rover design intern, Devauze penned a futuristic bike with sharp edges, tight surfaces and a distinctive silhouette, with the raised tail being its dominant element. The designer says he got the idea following a visit to the Audi museum in Ingolstadt, where he saw many DKW bikes.

"The idea was pretty simple: the first competitor of Audi is BMW, and BMW sell bikes. Audi has a massive heritage in terms of bikes with the DKW brand and is always looking for new markets – so bikes represent a good opportunity," Devauze says.

On the technical side, the Motorrad Concept is powered by a Ducati-sourced 850cc, Desmodromic 2-cylinder engine mated to a double-clutch gearbox. The bike’s chassis uses Audi’s Ultra lightweight technology, combining carbon fiber with light alloys. Devauze says an E-tron version of the bike could easily be done as well.

Thibault's brother Marc Debauze, also a designer, and Clement Couvreur, a digital modeler, helped create project. While the Motorrad Concept is simply a design exercise, we can’t help but wonder whether Audi should one day consider making motorcycles. We’d like to hear your opinions on this as well.